flag officer

American  

noun

1. a naval officer above the rank of captain, such as a fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral, rear admiral, or commodore, who is entitled to display a flag indicating their rank.

2. (formerly) an officer in command of a fleet, squadron, or group of ships.

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flag officer British  

noun

1. an officer in certain navies of the rank of rear admiral or above and entitled to fly its flag

2. the head of a boat or yacht club

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Etymology

Origin of flag officer

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

The only U.S. flag officer to win a Pulitzer, Adm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Navy’s senior officers, is one notch below rear admiral, the lowest-ranking flag officer.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

He wrote that “the size of the general and flag officer corps has become increasingly out of balance with the size of the force it leads.”

From Washington Times • Jan. 29, 2023

“We had a heart-to-heart, and frankly she was more excited about me becoming a flag officer and the opportunity for an African American to do so than I initially was,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2021

Every flag officer both of the fleet and of the squadrons was a soldier.

From Fighting Instructions, 1530-1816 Publications Of The Navy Records Society Vol. XXIX. by Corbett, Julian S. (Julian Stafford)